Whew, this summer just flew right on by. It feels like it was just a couple of weeks ago when I was planting up a storm trying to get all my plants in their pots/in the ground. I can’t believe that three months have gone by since then & it’s already the end of August. My summer garden really put on a show this year & my containers were no exception. I figured I would give you an update on how everything has been growing, especially since I have mentioned some of my containers in container gardening tutorial articles a few months ago. Keep on reading to see what they look like today.
Hanging Flower Basket Update
I planted up one hanging basket with coral begonias & another with pink impatiens this year & detailed the process in my hanging flower basket tutorial. This has been the first time I have ever grown begonias because I have always been a bit intimidated by them. I read that they can be a bit high-maintenance, especially when watering is concerned, which made me steer clear of them in the past. Turns out, there was no reason for me to be timid all this time because the begonias I planted thrived from the minute I planted them. They have done fantastic in a very shady area where most shade-loving flowers had previously faltered. I have learned my lesson & this spot will forever be a begonia spot from now on.
The pink impatiens have done well too, though not as well as the begonias. This basket gets a little less light than the begonias, but past impatiens have fared better in this spot in previous years. I ended up with a sneaky red impatiens plant that somehow found its way into my original eight pack of pink impatiens. I love it though, it’s a nice reminder that you can plan your garden all you want, but sometimes it will just do what it wants to do.
Flower Porch Pots Update
I planted the same coral begonias & pink impatiens in a couple of porch pots & placed them underneath my hanging baskets with the corresponding pot being diagonally placed from it’s matching hanging basket. I also mentioned these pots in my hanging flower basket tutorial. Once again, the coral begonias won the race & took off immediately. They have really proved to be a dependable & low-maintenance flower that I will always make sure to plant every year from now on. It’s funny that I was so iffy about trying them & now I can’t imagine gardening without begonias!
My pink impatiens did not get off to a good start though & within a week one of the plants died. I realized that the pot wasn’t getting enough sunlight & moved it over a couple of inches. Apparently, that nudge was all it needed & from there on out the impatiens flushed out quickly. You would never know that one of the plants didn’t make it looking at the flowerpot now, since the rest of the plants have grown so full. Lesson learned, sometimes even a tiny bit more sun can do a whole world of good when gardening.
Fence Flower Basket Update
This fence basket has been my pride & joy this year. I also detailed how I created this basket in my fence basket tutorial. I only planted one Supertunia Vista Bubblegum & one Lantana Landmark Rose Sunrise in this basket with the knowledge that they would explode in blooms. Boy, was I right! Both plants bursted off blooms immediately & haven’t stopped since. The color combination is such a dream & I plan to recreate it as often as I can. The pink of the supertunias & the multiple colors of the lantana really does look like a beautiful sunrise. While both of the plants have played well together, the supertunias are vigorous growers to the point that they have overtaken the basket. Next year, I plan on planting two lantanas & one supertunia to give a bit more balance to the container.
Flower Pouches Update
More tales of super supertunias here. This year, I planted up the first flower pouch with one Supertunia Vista Silverberry & the second pouch with one Supertunia Vista Paradise. Just like with my other containers, they took off fast & have put on a wonderful show full of color this summer. I love flower pouches & I have been planting them for a few years now (check out my flower pouch tutorial from last year). It’s such a great budget-friendly way to garden. All you need is one vigorous grower & your whole container is set for the summer.
Cinder Block Garden Update
Ah yes, my Dorothy Zbornak garden (I created a Golden Girls themed garden, take a gander here). How has Dorothy done this summer? Amazing, she has done amazing! I planted this space up with all vinca flowers after realizing over the years that nothing performs better than vincas in this area. A couple of blocks didn’t do so well because the soil kept falling out, but for the most part, the vincas have been beasts & the cinder block garden has spilled over with blooms. This flower tower has been one of our best gardening ideas to date & I highly recommend creating one of your own if you are looking for vertical interest in your garden. It’s super easy to create & maintain if you pick the right plants. Check out my cinder block garden tutorial from last year.
It’s safe to say that it has been a banner year for containers over here. I credit it all to fertilizing. I keep a diligent weekly fertilizing schedule & fertilize all my containers every Friday (I call it Fertilizer Friday) with water soluble fertilizer. The difference is astounding compared to before when I wasn’t so strict about fertilizing. Annuals especially really take off when you give them good food on a set schedule. I figure that if you are going to put in the effort to plant & take care of your container flowers then it’s a no brainer to feed them weekly to get the most bloom for your buck. I hope my container gardening run-through gave you a little garden inspiration. Happy Gardening!
The Plantiful Gardener 